1972 Chevrolet Chevelle Heavy Chevy

Written by Chad Tyson

Courtesy of Barrett-Jackson

LS3 402-ci, 300-hp V8

Documented one-owner car, with original title and Protect-O-Plate

Factory air conditioning

This rare special-order Heavy Chevy was marketed as a lighter version of the SS and advertised much lower stated horsepower as an insurance beater. Heavy Chevys were factory coded as a base Chevelle and theoretically avoided the SS title, which triggered staggering double-digit insurance premium increases in the early ‘70s.

The factory RPO code YF3 made this a rare Heavy Chevy, a sub-model based on the Chevelle series. It features a blacked-out grille and headlamp bezels, 14-by-6-inch Rally wheels with bright center caps and no trim rings, a domed hood and hood pins, lanyards and full-length Heavy Chevy body stripes, and hood, trunk-lid and fender badges.

It’s also equipped with F41 heavy-duty suspension and a base interior including rubber floor matting and bench seating to save weight. This Heavy Chevy is one of only 286 built with the optional big-block LS3 402-ci engine (the largest engine available) and the special heavy-duty MC1 Muncie 3-speed manual transmission that was only available with this engine.